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 Chateau Laurier, Ottawa,
Ontario by jamiesno
These are the best and some of them like the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, the Banff Springs, the Chateau Lake Louise, Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City are among the world's best hotels.
They are very historic buildings as well. So if you got the budget consult their web site and live it up in one of these great hotels. The Banff Springs might arguably be the best!
A little bit of Chateau, Laurier history from www.fairmont.com:
As the centerpiece of Canada's capital, Fairmont Château Laurier rests majestically between Parliament Hill, the Ottawa River, The Congress Centre and the open-air Byward Market. A historical monument in itself, the hotel enchants guests with its charm and stateliness. Brass stair rails, marble floors, high ceilings, antiques resting elegantly in rooms and foyers and wool carpets round out the hotel's regal beauty.
In 1907, during a time of grandeur and elegance, Ottawa's premier hotel was commissioned by American-born Charles Melville Hays, General Manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway of Canada. Following a disagreement with architect Bradford Lee Gilbert, Ross and Macfarlane Contractors was hired to build the hotel in French Renaissance style using granite blocks for the base, buff Indiana limestone for the walls and copper for the roof.
Unfortunately, Hays never had the chance to see his dream come true. Days before the hotel's scheduled opening on April 26, 1912, the new president of the railway was returning from England with dining room furniture, on the ill-fated Titanic. Hays and the male members of his party perished on April 14, 1912. Only Paul Chevre, who sculpted the bust of Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and the women in Hays' party, including his wife Clara, survived the disaster.
Fairmont Château Laurier was eventually opened by its namesake, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, on June 12, 1912. At that time, Ottawa was not the refined town it is today as it reflected its rough Bytown origins. Fairmont Château Laurier changed that and was once dubbed 'the third chamber of Parliament' in reference to the number of politicians roaming the corridors. In its rooms, political deals were made, careers launched or destroyed and governments created and dissolved.
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Canada is a huge country with so much outdoors available that it is almost unbelievable! With many National and Provincial Parks to choose from, not to mention privately-run operations, there is no shortage of places to camp if that is what you desire.
I have camped all over the Maritimes and New England states, but one of my favourites was on a canoe trip less than one hour from home in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Magaguadavic Lake is one of the biggest in NB, but it is isolated enough that it is still possible to get away from it all. My buddy Len and I explored one end of it on a weekend canoe trip, spending a night on a small un-named island on Little Magaguadavic Lake. The island has a small spot along its granite strewn shoreline where it is safe to bring in a wood/canvas canoe and there is a cleared area under the tall pine trees that makes life easy for you (2nd photo).
The ground in this open area of the island is covered with pine needles from the huge Eastern White Pines that grow here and used to cover the entire province before the Royal Navy needed them for masts in the Napoleonic Wars! The tree limbs in this spot have been trimmed enough that you can enjoy a pleasant breeze off the lake as well as the view that it affords! There has never been anyone else camping there at the same time on any of my trips - so you have your own personal island for a night!
In the summer evenings, the Common Loons put on an amazing display with their eerie cries echoing across the Lake. On one of the occasions when I stayed there, I saw twelve Loons calling back and forth to each other! With the sun slowly setting, it was the essence of the Canadian wilderness - no sounds of human intrusions, just the wind in the pine trees, the waves lapping on the beach and the eerie call of the Loons! Camping on an island also has the advantage that you do not have to worry about bears and raccoons raiding your camp at night!
I also found that even simple food seemed to taste better when it was prepared at a campsite! The green Coleman naptha stove in the 3rd photo has provided me with many memorable meals! In this case, after a day of paddling, Len checks things out as we settled for boiled potatoes and peas with fried onions and pork chops, washed down with some cold Moosehead beer! Theme: Other
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My wife and I have always enjoyed staying in Bed & Breakfast establishments, starting from our first experience in Wales in the summer of 1979. It has been the same in many countries since then, including various provinces in Canada - such a great way to meet both the locals running the establishment as well as various interesting guests!
During our July, 2006 trip to Alberta, a change in our schedule required us to find somewhere to stay in Calgary on only a few days notice. With the world-famous Calgary Stampede slated to open the same day that we returned, I checked on the internet for hotel availability but came up empty. Remembering how much we enjoy B&Bs on our travels, I switched to them next and soon came across Hughes House B&B, a 3-story Victorian style house built in 1914. A telephone call soon had it all sorted out - we could have the attic room without breakfast for $100 cash per night. It sounded good to me in a 'sellers market', so the reservation was confirmed then and there on the telephone. Under normal conditions in Canada, an average B&B would go for about $60 per night - but we were happy with our find in this instance!
On arrival, our host Kelly made us feel right at home. The B&B is located in a beautiful area of Calgary (3rd photo), within walking distance of the downtown core, including the Lions Gate bridge and the Calgary Tower. Our upstairs room was very comfortable and even had its own highspeed wireless internet connection. We had a shared bathroom with a room directly across the hall from ours, but there was never any issue regarding availibily of the modern and clean bathroom. One floor down was a kitchen for the guests, including a refrigerator, table, chairs, sink, utensils and even a washer and dryer that we used to clean up our 9-days worth of dirty clothes. On our final evening in Calgary before departing for Waterton Lakes NP, a small group of guests gathered on the front porch for a chat. One young lady was from Calgary and had travelled extensively, then living in Switzerland and had returned for a week in her home town. A Quebec man was waiting for both his motorcycle and girlfriend to arrive (they did the next day) so they could start a 10,000-km biking trip through British Columbia to California and back to Quebec through the USA. Another well-to-do couple from British Columbia also joined in the festivities as more wine, cheese and pizza was produced by Kelly! Both the BC man and Kelly entertained us on the living room piano with classical tunes as the night wore on. Near midnight, we all got into Kelly's Mercedes for a drive to a nearby overlook of Calgary where we watched fireworks from the Stampede! We then returned to the house and by the time the party wound down, it was close to 3:30 AM! Our enjoyment of these experiences made me think to ask Kelly if he had an opening on our final night in Alberta after our 1-week trip to the southern National Parks. He said no problem, so I cancelled my previous reservation at a Holiday Inn Express. We did return, and it was just like coming home! Theme: Bed and BreakfastPrice: US$40-80 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 315 11th Avenue Northeast, CalgaryPhone: 403-804-4431Directions: At the intersection of the Edmonton Trail and the TransCanada Highway Route 1, turn south on the Edmonton Trail and, after three or four blocks, turn right onto 11th Avenue. The house is the third one on your left.Website: www.hugheshouse.ca Other Contact: info@hugheshouse.ca
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My business and pleasure trips have taken me to all the Provinces and all have hotels to suit anyone's budget. I don't normally stay at high-end hotels unless the company is paying, as a result of the meeting being held at that particular location.
Of all the hotels I have used worldwide, Toronto's Grand Hotel & Suites really impressed me with its elegance! The decor of the hotel was all first class - marble and brass everywhere! As for my room, it had an entrance area with its own sofa and TV, before making your way past a small kitchen area into the bedroom where there was another larger TV and a nice desk for computer work. The bathroom was also very plush with mirrors and everything done up in white. The same quality applied to both the meeting room and the meals that were brought in to us!
The hotel also offers complimentary full breakfast, in-room movies and a shuttle service to anywhere in the downtown financial core of the city. Its roof-top boasts a patio garden with heated whirlpools and a great view out over Toronto. However, the indoor swimming pool at the Grand Hotel really is something to enjoy, even if you don't take a dip! The 3rd photo (from their brochure) shows its features much better than anything that I could have taken! The two-storey neo-classical pool has hand painted murals of the Garden of Versailles surrounding it to give that special 'opulent' effect!
My room rate was US$125 or US$140 with all taxes. Theme: HotelPrice: US$120-180 » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: 225 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M5B2C1Phone: 416-863-9000Directions: In the main downtown area, only a few blocks from anything.Website: www.grandhoteltoronto.com
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If you don't want to spend a lot of money for a place to spend the night, motels are usually a good bet and easily found most places in Canada, even in off-the-beaten-path areas.
In August, 2006, my biking buddy and I decided to bicycle around small Deer Island, off New Brunswick's south coast. There did not seem to be a great abundance of motels, so I phoned the 45th Parallel (we are half way between the Equator and the North Pole here!) several weeks before to make a reservation. We were later forced to cancel it as we had to postpone our trip for one week, but there was still no problem in getting a room - even though it was the New Brunswick Day long-weekend.
I liked the place as soon as I saw it. The 45th Parallel is located in the small village of Fairhaven on the west coast of the island and the interior of the restaurant/office had a warm decor with friendly staff. We arrived on a Friday afternoon and soon settled in. We had not done much homework at all and were a bit shocked to find that there were no liquor outlets on the island (things can be a bit conservative in this part of the province!). However, we survived, downing a few beers with our evening meal on their outside deck and later listened to some other guests, from Newfoundland & Labrador, playing away on their instruments as they had a 'kitchen party' in (and out of) their room. They were even considerate enough to drop the noise level way down once it reached 10 PM! We paid C$74 (US$65) including taxes for our room.
The Motel also seemed to be one of only a few places to eat on Deer Island and it looked like we picked a good one - with its restaurant listed in 'Where to Eat in Canada 2000'! The restaurant is noted for its seafood, especially since it keeps the largest lobster found in Deer Island waters, Herman (2nd photo), in a glass tank situated in the middle of the eating area. At the end of the lobster season, Herman will be returned to his natural habitat and a replacement will be found again the following season. Maybe Herman and his buddy are a bit worried being displayed in a restaurant lobby, because they are already sporting the cooked 'reddish' look instead of the normal dark green colour of freshly caught lobsters! However, for the moment, just remove those rubber bands on his claws and this 14-pound (6.3-kg) heavyweight champion of Deer Island is ready to take on all comers!
Our first sampling of the food was excellent - lunchtime Club Sandwiches with Fries washed down by cold Alpine and Blue beers. While eating, we had a good chat with a very fit looking young couple who had been biking for 8 days to make it this far from New York City. They were headed for Cape Breton Island on the tip of Nova Scotia but very sensibly planned to fly back from there! Theme: MotelPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averageAddress: 941 Route 772, Fairhaven on Deer Island, New BrunswickPhone: (506) 747-2231Directions: On the west coast, only a 20-minute bike ride from the Provincial Park at Deer Island PointWebsite: www.45thparallel.ca/
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 Oceanside view, our 2nd floor
balcony in middle by Bwana_Brown, 1 more photos
I particularly liked the Auberge Havre sur Mer, located in the village of Bassin on the southwest coast of the island of Havre Aubert, in Quebec's remote Iles de la Madeleine out in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is actually is a large old house with a great view of the nearby lighthouse off to the right of this sea-side view. The nine rooms are well-decorated and we were lucky enough to get one upstairs with a centre balcony overlooking the Gulf. The lady who owns the inn has some trouble with her English (lets not discuss my French), but between the two of us we had enough linguistic skills to figure out what we were trying to say! This was the best accommodation we enjoyed on any of the islands during our week-long explorations of this archipelego.
It was fun sitting out on our 2nd floor balcony in the evening, sipping our wine as the ocean airs wafted by. As the light faded, we saw, in the distance, the cruise ferry "Vacancier" leaving for Montreal with its lights blazing. It reminded us of enjoying a similar view while in Cancun not too long before, watching the Cozumel cruise ships departing each night! This accommodation cost us C$161 including taxes (US$120) for one night with breakfast included. Usually you can get an Inn for quite a bit less than this in Canada, but things are more expensive in remote locations such as the Madeleines.
The dining room (2nd photo) was very well decorated and had great window views over the Gulf. Our breakfast in this spacious dining area was the best we had during our trip. After serving yourself fresh orange juice, we had a fruit entree of blueberries, strawberries and cooked rhubarb around a scoop of sherbet. This was followed by the main course of French toast and strips of bacon as well as steaming hot coffee. The closer to the meal was a light merangue dish. Theme: InnPrice: US$40-80 » Currency ConverterComparison: most expensiveAddress: 1197 Chemin du Bassin, on Quebec's island of Havre Aubert, in the Iles de la MadeleinePhone: 418-937-5675Directions: When driving through Bassin, not long after you pass the lighthouse (on your left) you will see Auberge sur Mer also on your left - with an ocean front setting.Website: www.demarque.qc.ca/havre Other Contact: havresurmer@yahoo.ca
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 by MichaelFalk1969 |
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 Sylvia Hotel, Vancouver by Paul2001
This is an extremely popular hotel so I highly recomment that you book your room several weeks, even months, in advance.
The bar is a great place to sit at sunset with its westward exposure. The rooms are quite large for the price. Because of its age, it was built in 1912, the hotel has an old-world atmosphere. Theme: HotelComparison: less expensive than averageAddress: 1154 Gilford St. Vancouver, B.C.Phone: 604-681-9321Website: www.sylviahotel.com
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 by bkathryn
This place is spectacular, as is the scenery around. Words don't describe it very well - check out their web site and brochure.
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 by bkathryn |
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